Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

Subject: Environment

Section: Places in news

Context: The unusually wet weather last year meant that flowers bloomed early in the reserve and the wildlife had plenty to eat, but there could be some negative impact too.

More on the News:

• In 2022, the Nilgiris witnessed one of the wettest years recorded in the past 64 years: the number of rainy days were also more, according to the Nilgiris District Disaster Management Department.
• Due to the prolonged rain, many flowering species have started to bloom early, say botanists.
• The rain has helped a lot in increasing the water table. It has kept forest fires at bay. Many wild animals have started to breed due to the plentiful fodder for the herbivores and prey for the carnivores. Birds have started nesting too.

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

• Mudumalai National Park is a national park in the Nilgiri Mountains in Tamil Nadu, south India.
• It shares boundaries with the states of Karnataka and Kerala.
• It was a declared tiger reserve in 2007.
• It is a part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (1st Biosphere Reserve in India) along with Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) in the West, Bandipur National Park (Karnataka) in the North, Mukurthi National Park and Silent Valley in the South.
• It is bordered in the north by Bandipur National Park, in the east by Sigur Reserve Forest and in the west by Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. In the south, it is bordered by Singara Reserve Forest.
• The Moyar River and its tributaries drain this area, and several artificial waterholes provide drinking water for wildlife during dry seasons.
• The river Moyar, which flows along the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border, divides the two states. The Park is bisected by the Mysore-Ooty highway, which follows the direction of the Moyar River, which divides Mudumalai and Bandipur.
• Flagship Species: Tiger and Asian Elephant.
• The Reserve has tall grasses, commonly referred to as ‘Elephant Grass’.
• Tropical Evergreen Forest, Moist Mixed Deciduous Forest, Moist Teak Forest, Dry Teak Forest, Secondary Grasslands, Shrubs, and Swamps are among the habitats found here.